
Louisiana Purchase / Panama Hattie (1940, Ethel Merman) - repro
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This rare historical compilation documents the dual 1940 original Broadway premiere runs of musical comedy titan Ethel Merman as she simultaneously conquered the commercial stage landscape in Irving Berlin's 'Louisiana Purchase' and Cole Porter's 'Panama Hattie' at the Imperial and 46th Street Theatres. Representing an absolute peak of mid-century vocal belting showmanship, the fast-paced farcical plots paired Merman’s tour-de-force vocals with book scripts tracking political deceptions and canal zone espionage. Directed by master independent showmen, this tracking commemorates the original composite transit marketing graphics.

